I've got a bit free time over the summer and since I have access to a machine shop I figured I'd make something quick and fun for my bike. Hope this is the right forum.

My steerer tube is still uncut (commitment is a big and scary word), so I have a 20mm cone spacer and two 5mm spacers sitting on top of my stem. They're not load bearing and spacers are pretty easy to make, so I figured I'd make my own single-piece 30mm spacer out of some spare 6061 aluminum I have. Here are a few pics of the process.

Made a design in Solidworks based on some headset spacers I saw on Fairwheel.

Doing some basic FEA. The spacer should be able to sustain a normal load of 50lbf. I was concerned that it might snap while being held in the vice on the mill. I ended up making the pillars wider during fabrication anyway.

First pass on the first cutoff - I was pretty nervous! Can't clamp it too hard that it crushes the spacer but I also didn't want the spacer flying off as soon as the end mill came into contact. Solution: sharp carbide end mill, lots of oil, and a slow power feed. Advanced a depth of 1/32" per pass. If anyone's interested I can talk about how I got the cutouts to be perpendicular to each other.

Fresh off the mill. Gotta do some finishing work.

Cleaned up and did some light filing.

Another angle.

Old setup. Note cone spacer.

That's simply too many grams.

That's more like it.

If nothing else, it looks lightweight I'd like to make it black somehow, but I haven't really thought about it too much. Maybe I'll just run it naked for a while so people can ask me about it

I totally agree that cutting the steerer is the better solution in terms of both weight and aesthetics, but for some reason I can't bring myself to commit to cutting it. I don't really mind the unicorn-tube. This spacer, as well as my upcoming top cap, is just a fun project for my bike that won't kill me if I don't make something robust enough

I'll probably cut it eventually, and when I do I'll make a one-piece spacer/bearing cover combo to replace the Ritchey one I have now.

I admire the design and work, top marks. Having that much steerer sticking up though just seems borderline dangerous if you crashed or something.

_________________You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.
-- Frank Zappa

I totally agree that cutting the steerer is the better solution in terms of both weight and aesthetics, but for some reason I can't bring myself to commit to cutting it. I don't really mind the unicorn-tube. This spacer, as well as my upcoming top cap, is just a fun project for my bike that won't kill me if I don't make something robust enough

I'll probably cut it eventually, and when I do I'll make a one-piece spacer/bearing cover combo to replace the Ritchey one I have now.

Not sure I understand why you don't want to cut it. If that stem height works, then just cut the sucker. Having the steerer stick out above the stem like that is just dangerous. If you crash, that thing can cause some serious damage.

Your design is nice, though. Why not make some shorter ones for under the stem. Do them in 5mm intervals and you'll have a nice set.

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